Dunmow: Ban for drug-drive moped rider

A moped rider found by patrolling police officers to be driving under the influence of drugs has been disqualified from driving for a year.

Richard Wiffen, 37, was stopped by two of our rural engagement officers on the B184 in Dunmow on 5 March 2023 on suspicion of speeding.

When they spoke to him, they suspected he was under the influence of drugs. He tested positive for cannabis at the roadside and was arrested. A blood sample taken in custody was later found to contain 3.9 microgrammes of Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per litre of blood. The legal limit is two microgrammes*.

At Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 13 June, Wiffen, of Cherry Garden Lane, Newport, admitted driving a motor vehicle with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the specified limit.

He has now been disqualified from driving for 12 months, fined £461 and ordered to pay £105 costs and a £184 victim surcharge.

“Driving with any amount of drugs in your system is just as dangerous for you, your passengers and other road-users as if you have drunk too much alcohol. Drugs can stay in your system for quite some time after you have taken them.
“Drugs can delay your reactions, affecting your ability to judge speed and distance, and they can create a false confidence so, even if you think you are safe to drive, you are not.
“If convicted of drug-driving you may lose your licence and that could cost you your job.”
Sergeant Paul Brady, of our Rural Engagement Team

Drug-driving, along with drink-driving, is a Fatal Four offence – speeding, using a mobile phone while driving and not wearing a seatbelt are the others.

Our officers are committed to keeping Essex roads safe for all road-users – in support of Vision Zero, the ambition to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on Essex roads by 2040.

• Find out more about driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

*  For illegal drugs, the limits set are extremely low. They aren't zero to rule out any accidental exposure, eg from passive smoking.

At Essex Police, we value difference, and know that we’re strongest when we all work together.

If you share our values and want to protect and serve our communities, why not join us?

If you think you could protect and serve the people of Essex, either as a police officer, member of staff or volunteer, why not see if you fit the bill?

Find out more by visiting our careers page.